You cowered before me, and I was frightening
by furby23
Summary: "Everything that you wanted, I have done." When she was a child, she wished for an adventure in another world, and he gave it to her. As she gets older, she finds new wishes to make. Is there a chance the Goblin King will take on new roles to play in order to cater to her wishes throughout her life?
1. Chapter 1

She was fifteen when she first met him. It was a meeting born out of a schoolgirl wish, a wish for a chance to see another world than the one inhabited by stepmothers and algebra homework and curfews. It was a meeting the turned her world upside down, and she would never be the same the again.

"Everything that you wanted I have done. You asked that the child be taken, I took him. You cowered before me, I was frightening. I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you."

At the time, Sarah hadn't guessed at the meaning veiled behind these words. This was a world of her own construction, with players invited by her own mind. There was only so much he could say before the illusion would be broken. And he did't want to break it.

"You have no power over me."

And it was true. She held the power. She always had.

She thought about that meeting for a long, long time. She mulled the words and images over in her mind, running her thoughts over them the way one runs their tongue over a hard candy, savouring each flavour and taste. She hid those memories away in corners of her mind, taking them out when she wanted to look at them again or be comforted by their familiarity. Her love of fantasy stayed with her through her senior year at highschool. As graduation approached, so many of her younger self's interests waned, pushed aside by thoughts of SAT scores and college applications and what furniture she would need for her dorm. And for just a little while, she stopped thinking about the Labyrinth, letting it get buried under endless to-do lists and pressure.

But the Labyrinth wouldn't, couldn't stay away forever. Thoughts of it would creep back to her at night as she lay drifting off to sleep in her dormitory bed, fantastic thoughts that enticed her mind but vanished by morning light, leaving her with the feeling of forgetting something important that was just out of reach but still needed to be found.

It was two weeks before her first midterm when it happened. In a compulsive fit of cleaning brought on by nerves, she hastily pulled a box out from the back of her closet so she could vacuum. A book from her childhood - the one book she had saved away from the great purge when she moved into her new life. The one book she couldn't, wouldn't let go of. Red leather bound cover and red ribbon bookmark, filled with as many promises and secrets as she had remembered. She sat down right there and flipped through the pages. That was how her roommate found her hours later, sitting in the midst of several boxes with the vacuum cleaner still plugged in, reading a book on the floor. Sarah started, suddenly brought out of her fantasy world by the closing of the front door and the footsteps of Ali as she entered the room and asked if Sarah was okay. Sarah tucked the book into her pocket and stood up, smiling at Ali and saying she was fine. She put the boxes back into the closet sans book and proceeded to put away the vacuum as Ali made dinner. Sarah had cleaned enough for the day, she had something else to fixate on now.

The following week she thought more about the Labyrinth than she had since she was fifteen. She thought about the castle walls when she woke up, and thought about oubliettes as she got dressed, she though about the murky orange of the sky as she brushed her teeth, about that dizzying peach dream as she walked to class, and as she sat down and opened her notebook to scrawl half listened to lecture notes, she thought about him. The ideas started off innocently, because in all honesty, who hasn't sat in the middle of class and wished to be somewhere else? Her mind ran away with her.

What if, she wondered. What if it could happen all over again? Of course, it could't really happen the same way again. She wasn't the same person she was back then, and though the thought floated briefly through her mind, she couldn't really wish her professor away to the goblins. But it didn't stop her from wishing that she could have some kind of break from the tedium of academia in the same way she had a break when she was younger.

The idea germinated in her mind. She wanted different things now that she was older. Fifteen year old Sarah Williams wanted a dark and frightening wizard with great powers who lived in a far off world, twenty year old Sarah Williams wanted something a little less frightening and far off and a little more understanding and accessible for the world she lived in. One couldn't always run off to a labyrinth whenever one wanted, and if one looked hard enough, fantasy could be found in many corners of everyday life. Magic didn't live solely in the Labyrinth.

Her first midterm was tomorrow. A group of friends from her precalculus class had invited her to a study party at the local pub. She had been hesitant at first about just how much actual studying would get done at a pub, but eventually relented when told of the appetizers that would be available - chicken wings, soft pretzels, nachos, sliders. The first two hours of the study party went swimmingly. In between bites of savoury foods they quizzed each other on problems and recited mathematical formulas. When the food was all finished, some of them began to talk of where to go next. Sarah felt annoyed at the thought of not spending any extra time going over the problems that were sure to be on the test despite doing just as well as all the other students during their dinner. She let them leave without her, off to find some fun in other places. She stayed behind, the solitary figure going over things she knew but but feared forgetting.

The waitress came and went, clearing off the plates and empty cups until all the was left were textbooks and notes and flashcards. Sarah glance out the window just once.

"I wish-" the rest of her words mumbled and ran together under her breath, finished off with a deep sigh as she pulled her eyes away from the parking lot and looked back down at quadrilateral inscribed circles. A single tear drop fell onto the diagram. Would all of her college good times consist of listening to the things her classmates did while she was stuck worrying over tests? There was a faint rumble from the parking lot; a motorcycle had pulled up.


	2. Chapter 2

Someone opened the door at the front of the pub and entered. Sarah instinctively looked over as she had done every time that night when someone entered. Her heart froze in her mouth. The stranger - or was he? - locked eyes with Sarah for a moment before cooly looking away. He swayed into pub with the air of owning the entire building.

Sarah could hardly believe it, but she couldn't pass it off as an overactive imagination or mere coincidence. That aloof gaze, that hair that, though slicked back, still held the promise of being wild when not gelled, that bearing of royalty, and most of all, those mismatched eyes. It had to be him.

He made his way to the corner of the room, where she just noticed for the first time that there was a small stage and a guitar set up. He entered the stage and picked up the guitar. An employee approached and whispered something to him. He nodded. The lighting in the pub changed, and he began to play a song.

Sarah hid her face in her hands. Although there was really no way anyone else at the pub could possibly know about their history together, she felt as though everyone was watching her, waiting for her reaction. Or maybe it was just the feeling of one certain person waiting for her reaction. She peeked out from between two fingers and looked. He was staring off into space, strumming his guitar and signing something about a "starman" or similar nonsense. She let her hands drop to the table, but her face was still flushed red out of embarrassment. Life in the pub continued as normal, she was safe for now.

The song ended and he started a new one. Sarah flirted with the thought of leaving right then - technically, she was done with her homework and even if she hadn't been, she didn't think she would possibly get anymore done now. But, though she would never say it to his face, she kind of liked the songs he playing, and if she left then she might never know for certain if it was really him.

Her certainty had begun to waver. He played five more songs and hadn't looked at her once. She kept ordering Sprite after Sprite so the waitress wouldn't kick her out. He got to the end of his set and the spotlights on him turned off. He unplugged the speakers and began putting his guitar into its case.  
Her conviction was proved correct as he made his way through the room in a roundabout fashion only to end up in front of the booth Sarah was sitting in. He ran his hand through his hair and smirked.

"Surely such a clever young woman isn't too stressed over something as trivial as a little midterm?"

Sarah was stuck between hissing out a "what are you doing here?" and asking him how he'd been in the years since she'd seen him last. She opted instead for a dumbstruck silence.

He motioned to the other side of the booth.

"Do you mind?"

She gave her head a single shake. He sat down and pulled her textbook over to look at it. He flipped through the pages nonchalantly and asked "How many credits?"

"T-twelve." she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Then you have plenty of time for between studying."

"Hey. It's three hours of study for each credit, plus the time I have to spend in class-"

"But surely you... Wish, for more time, don't you Sarah?"

She was quiet, thinking.

"Don't you wish you had something - someone - to take you mind off classes? Someone to go places with you when you tire of your little college friends and their immature shenanigans?"

"Well... Yeah..."

"I thought so. After all, I heard your wish myself."

She grew a crumpled straw wrapper at him. The waitress returned, this time with two Sprites.

They sat in silence for several minutes, each one drinking their soda an staring the other one down.

"Why are you here, after all this time?" she blurted out at last.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you wish for me to leave, miss Sarah? Because I can if you'd like." he began to stand up from the booth.

"No! No." she blushed, embarrassed at how quickly she responded.

"Well then." he extended his hand to Sarah to help her up from the booth. "There's a whole world out there just waiting to be discovered. Shops that stay open late, and movie theatres that never close. Who knows what we might find." he smirked.

Sarah took his hand and the two of them left the pub and ventured deep into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

As they stepped over the threshold of the pub, Sarah stepped into a whole new life. With Jareth there she forgot all about worrying over test results. True to his words, there were shops still open at that hour. But these were shops Sarah had seen before - perhaps, she told herself, she had been too focused on classes and studies to realise there was a hat shop within walking distance of her dorm. After trying on dozens silly hats and laughing while taking selfies - and mysteriously not getting busted by any shopkeepers - they ordered ice cream from the stand next door and walked together for a little while, Sarah enjoying a salted caramel cone and Jareth with a peach flavoured cup that Sarah only briefly rolled her eyes at.

She looked at her watch, certain that it must now be in the small hours hours of the morning, and was surprised to find that only forty five minutes had passed. It was late, yes, but not too far from how late she normally stayed up. She wondered for a moment if goblin magic had been used to reorder time, but she knew better than to question a good thing. If she got to bed within a half hour, she could still manage to get eight hours sleep.

As if reading her mind - surely he wasn't really reading her mind? she panicked for a small second - Jareth announced that it was time for her to be getting back to her dorm.

"Don't you worry about those tests. You'll do just fine on them." he added in a matter of fact way.

She ducked her head. "Thank you, Goblin King."

They arrived outside her door. Jareth, satisfied that she had arrived safely at her doorstep, turned to leave. Sarah paused.

"You've changed, Jareth."

Jareth smirked as he looked back.

"Of course I have. So have you, dear Sarah."

Those words ran through her mind for the rest of the night.

She woke up feeling refreshed the next morning. The tensions that had been growing in her neck and shoulders was pleasantly absent. Though she of course still had a touch of nerves as her first test started, it soon melted away as she found she had the answers to each question tucked away in her mind from color-coded flashcards and excellent note-taking. She double checked her answers and turned the paper into the professor, sighing in relief as she left the classroom.

That afternoon she spent in the library with her friend Lillian, finding old collections of poetry to check out and read on the lawn under the shade of a tree while sipping cold lemonade in an impromptu picnic of sorts. Maybe, she thought, maybe this whole college thing didn't have to be as stressful as she thought it did.

The next day her second test went almost as smooth as the first. There were a few questions posed in such an odd manner she that was unsure of what it was even asking. She put down some words that seemed like they should go together and hoped for the best, deciding not to let it worry her too much as she knew plenty of other less ambiguous answers on the test.

The day after that went similarly, and the day after that, and the next one. At last, the long-dreaded week was over, and the students were free - at least until finals came around. But that was a worry for another time. Right now, it was time to celebrate. The same group of friends got together again, no textbooks or graphing calculators this time. One of them suggested they go back to the same pub, and Sarah's heart skipped a beat as she nodded vigourously.

They settled in at the pub, ordering foods and drinks and swapping stories of what was on the tests. The atmosphere was more laid back than the first time they had come. The food tasted a little better, the jokes told were a little funnier, and there was no rush to get back by a certain time. They ended up staying later than they had on their first visit, and Sarah was so engrossed in conversation that she didn't even notice when the guitarist entered. It wasn't until he began playing that she tend in her seat to look for him.

This is what she had been hoping would happen, that it wasn't just a one-time thing, that he would be back. She hadn't seen him since their adventure the week before. She knew she was looking forward to seeing him again, but the amount of happiness at seeing him was what surprised her.

The conversation went on behind her. She stayed looking at him. The blue lights reflected off of his dark leather jacket and silver guitar, and she was reminded of that dizzying dream deep within the labyrinth.  
The chatter at the table, so captivating just moments before, was completely gone from her thoughts. It was as though the only things in the entire room were herself and that singer. Nothing broke her attention from him, not the crick that was slowly developing in her back from twisting sideways to see him, nor when her friend poked her repeatedly in the side to ask her what the title of movie was she had mentioned earlier. Her friend eventually shrugged and gave up. Their conversation continued without her.

His first song ended and the patrons clapped politely. Sarah clapped along with them. He hadn't even looked in her direction yet, though she hoped he would. The waitress dropped off a bucket of fried mozzarella sticks and nachos at the table, momentarily blocking Sarah's view. She leaned to the side to keep looking.

"He's really good, isn't he?" the waitress nodded towards him.

Sarah looked up, just slightly embarrassed. "Yes, he is."

"Boss said he's been booked for the next three weekends, hopefully it'll add a little spice to this place."

Sarah nodded eagerly, scarcely believing her own ears. Three weeks? The next song was starting, and the waitress left. Sarah turned back to her table in a daze. She slowly started listening to the conversation again - it had changed to a completely different topic now. She dunked a mozzarella stick into the marinara absentmindedly. She stole a glance over at Jareth, only to find he was looking at her as well. Sitting on a little stool, wearing a leather jacket, eyes half closed, singing a song about a genie, and looking at her when he thought she wasn't looking at him.

The absurdity of it all made her laugh. Unfortunately, she ended up laughing out loud, only to realise the conversation had turned to serious matters. To avoid looking as though she were laughing at Aaron's worries about tuition prices she attempted to turn her laugh into a cough and only half succeed.

Her attention stay split for the rest of the night - half there with her friends, and half on the melodies being produced from the corner. She had the smallest worry that he would leave before she had a chance to talk to him, or that her friends would want to go back before he was finished. But her lucky starts had aligned that night for sure, for as the last notes were strummed from those strings, her friends were finishing paying the bills and repacking their message bags and backpacks. The room applauded one last time as parting bites and sips of soda were taken. Louise crammed a handful of bread into her purse when most of the group wasn't looking, prompting Sarah to sigh wearily at her friend's antics.

"Just gimme one second." Louise tried to hang back to make a grab for the remnants of the soft pretzels as well, but Sarah shooed her away.

"Your purse is going to get gross if you keep putting food in it like that." she warned her.

Louise relented and Sarah walked behind her to make sure she didn't make another dash for something. She glanced back an noticed Jareth had already packed up everything of his and was about to head for the door as well. She slowed down her steps just enough to lag slightly behind. Her timing worked out just right as they both exited the pub within fifteen seconds of each other. Once outside, she paused and turned to him.

"I heard you got booked here for three more weeks."

He smiled. "Yes, it seems they do enjoy these little jingles I've made up, don't they? And I've found it to be quite a fulfilling hobby, myself."

"What are you going to do after those three weeks?" she tried to sound nonchalant about it and not at all like she would - heaven forbid - miss him or something after those weeks were up. And if she did feel that, well, he didn't have to know, did he?

He probably already knew, damn him.

"Actually, I've already been booked by that delightful little sushi bar just down the way, have you or your friends tried it yet?" he deftly pulled a business card out from somewhere inside of that handsome jacket and extended it to her.

She read the card briefly before putting it in her pocket. "I haven't been there, but... Maybe I will... Sometime." she tried to shrug in a casual manner but she was unsure if she had pulled it off. If she had ended up with more of an awkward shoulder twitch instead of cool shrug, he politely did not mention it or let on.

"Perhaps I'll be seeing you often in the future then. As for right now, you out to go catch up with your friends, they're almost halfway back to the dorms by now." he nodded in the direction of her group, who were receding into the distance.

"I can see them any old time. I want to stay here with you." she ducked her head so he wouldn't see the blush that was beginning to creep across her face.

He grinned. "I truly appreciate the sentiment, Sarah, I do. But do really think there would ever be a time in your life when I would fail to appear if you summoned me? You could be an old lady in a retirement home and I'd still be there for you, turning annoying nurses into goblins if you wished it."

She giggled at the metal image.

"At any time in your life I would whisk you away to the Labyrinth and reorder time there if you so desired. But this, right here, right now, is only for such a short time. Your campus friends will all be going off on their own solitary adventures after a mere few years, and when they do you'll miss the chances you had to spend with them but didn't. These university nights and colligate friendships won't last forever." he softened his voice. "You can't spend all your time with me, you know. That just wouldn't do. But I'll still be here when you get back. You don't ever have to worry about that. Now, you might want to hurry and catch up with them, I have a feeling something quite interesting to about to happen someone where in the vicinity of the old fountain, and it just might involve that tiny skateboard Frank has been carrying around in his backpack."

"I'll see you later?" it was as much a goodbye as it was a plea.

He nodded.

She turned and ran to catch up. She looked back just once, but he was already gone, disappeared into the crisp evening air.

Her thoughts for the next few days occasionally strayed towards Jareth, though for the most part she focused on her studies and the happenings around the campus. It was on one of her grocery runs to the town square a few blocks away that she saw him again.

He was walking down the street and looked distracted. He didn't even notice her until she waved at him as she crossed the street to she what he was up to.

He looked surprised when he saw her.

"Sarah, darling, I really can't stay long, I'm on my way to meet someone about my music."

"Oh." she was taken aback. "It's ok. I have errands to run, too." she turned to be on her way.

"Walk with me for a moment, though. How is Frank doing?"

"He's fine, just barely. He almost busted his head open when fell off the fountain. We tried to tell him the edges weren't made for skateboarding, but he wouldn't listen. He's lucky the worst that happened was getting soaked." she chuckled.

Jareth laughed along with her. "I would so like to keep this conversation going, dear one, but I really must be going." he motioned at door they had stopped in front of. "But I'll tell you what - are you busy tomorrow night?"

"No."

"Would you meet me at the burger restaurant just around the corner at, say, tomorrow 5 o'clock?"

"Of course!"

"That's wonderful, Sarah, I'll see you then." he gave a little wave goodbye as he entered the building.

She went on with her shopping trip, mind consumed once more by lists of laundry soap and frozen dinners. It wasn't until Sarah was already half way done picking out her groceries that she realized she sort of kind of maybe had a date with the Goblin King. She could squealed right then and there, but refrained from doing so out of respect for the other shoppers who surely would have been disturbed by a high pitched scream.

The next night she changed outfits only once, refusing to yield to the temptation of trying on every article in her closet to see what looked best. She arrived a few minutes before five, dressed casually and appearing far more calm and collected than she felt.

Jareth was already there, sitting at a booth. She down opposite him. He had something in his hands that he was looking at.

"What's that?" she asked.

"This is what I had to discuss with someone yesterday." he slid a CD case towards her. "I've gotten a deal to have some of my songs recorded in a studio and made into compact disks. They even some prototype art of what the cover will look like."

She looked at the cover for a long while.

"That's not really your name, is it?"

"Well, I can't have everyone out there knowing my real name, next thing you know they'll all be wanting something - or someone - wished away, too. Real names give a person power over you, you know. So this is my 'stage name', as it were." he looked proud of his cleverness.

"Really? This?"

"Well what's wrong with it?"

"Nothing! Nothing, it's just... I mean, the last name is fairly unusual, but the first name is so... Common."

"Common?" he sounded aghast, as though she had just called him a peasant.

"Well, yes. I must have know dozens, if not hundreds, of people named David over the years."

"Has it occurred to you perhaps I wanted a name people could feel familiar with? And you're certainly the judge of common names, aren't you, Sarah?"

She laughed as handed the cd back to him.

"I didn't say it was bad. It's pretty nice, actually. I like it."

"Hmm. Well. What's your favorite song of mine so far, then?"

She thought for a moment.

"I don't think I can pick a favourite. They're all good."

"Oh, come now. Surely there's one that stands out to you."

"Hmm, well, the other day as I walking to class, I did find myself humming that one about modern love. It's catchy. It's so upbeat, but it's a little sad, too."

"I'll make a note for that one to be included on the disk, then."

The waiter came and took their order. They talked about his music for a little while longer, and then the topics turned to classes and then to subjects that Sarah found interesting and was surprised to find that Jareth knew quite a bit about. They spoke about color theory and Gaelic grammar and chemistry. At one point the conversation almost turned to the Labyrinth, but Jareth steered it back into a discussion of William Butler Yeats instead.

Although the subject was only touched on, it made Sarah's chest ache with a strange sense of homesickness. But that was silly, wasn't it? She could have understood missing the home she had spent her early childhood in - and she did - or even missing the house where she lived with her father and stepmother, but she only missed those in a vague way, a kind of detached image that she held fondly but did not long to return to. Her mind and heart instead turned towards the Labyrinth and all the strangeness found there and kindled a lonely fire for it. How much more beautiful and mysterious it would be if she were not rushing to beat a clock and fighting goblin hordes. To be able to explore the goblin market and the castle grounds and feed the chickens and daydream under peach trees.

She had to forcibly push the thoughts from her mind. That was not her path. Not now, at least. Right now, she had to focus on her education, focus on finding a job out there in the real world - a prospect perhaps more terrifying than running from the slashing machine in a tunnel. But she pushed her fears aside, too. If she could complete the Labyrinth in time, she could make it the real world, she told herself often. She had more than enough strength to walk the path ahead of her. strength So she focused on what she had to. She continued to study for classes, going out with her friends every weekend to various restaurants, coffee shops, and eateries - all of which seemed to have booked a certain live musician - for both celebrations and study parties. Sometimes she only got speak a few words with Jareth after his shows and that was all she would see of him for a week, but occasionally they would meet for lunch or for a walk in the park or look through the library together. And things went on like that right up through the end of the semester.

It was mid way through finals week that Lillian first brought up the road trip. She had it all planned out, right down to a map with with certain roads highlighted and her uncle's promise of letting her borrow the old VW bus he owned. Sarah agreed that it sounded like a great idea, but it wasn't brought up again until two days before the end of the semester when Lilian officially invited both Sarah and Louise to join her. Without a second a though at the time, she excitedly agreed and began to pack her bags that very night.

It wasn't until she had stuffed her toothbrush and earrings into a duffle bag that she realized if she had skipped out on the road trip, she might have been able to stay here for the break and spend that time with Jareth. This thought gave her pause for a moment, but she recalled his words to her from all those weeks ago. She wouldn't always have a chance to drive to the beach in an old VW bus with her friends, so she should do it while she could. Her resolved strengthened, she finished packing her clothes into the bag and zipped it up. As she set the bag by the front door, there was a tap at the window. She pulled back the curtain to reveal a barn owl sitting on the window ledge. It stared up at her and blinked. She opened the window and the owl stepped inside to windowsill and sat down.

"Out catching mice, Jareth?"

The owl made a grumpy noise and Sarah giggled.

"I'm going on a road trip on Monday. We probably won't be back until the next semester starts." she almost added 'is that ok', but bit it back. She ruled her life, not him.

The owl nodded and looked over at the duffle bag for a moment before turning back to face the outside.

"I'll see you when I get back."

The owl hooted as it flew away.

She left the window open for a bit, sitting down by it and closing here eyes, breathing deeply of the night air. When she opened her eyes again she was surprised to see a bubble the size of an orange float by. As it passed she could have sworn she heard a familiar voice wishing her a good trip. When the bubble had floated away and she couldn't keep it in sight any longer, she shut the window and prepared for bed. She had one more test in the morning and then a long week ahead of her.

Five days later she was standing barefoot in the sand as the waves washed up around her ankles, Louise and Lillian on either side of her. They collected old shells and had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and looked up at the stars and told each other stories and drank root beer and made friendship bracelets. By the time they arrived back at their dorms, Sarah had over a thousand pictures on her camera's memory card which she spent some time going through and making cute digital collages to post on social media. Even if they ended up losing touch with each other after graduation, they would always have their time at the beach to remember fondly, and Sarah knew she would treasure the fun times they had had together. She had one of the collages printed out and pinned it to the wall near her bed.


	4. Chapter 4

The new semester started off in a flurry of new notebooks and highlighter ink. Her classes were challenging but enjoyable for the most part. Her schedule this time around allowed for having all of Wednesday off, and she was looking forward to it. She wanted to treat herself to a day off of campus. A new bookstore had opened in town, and she couldn't wait to visit it.

As soon as she stepped into it she knew it was going to become her favourite place to be. The front of the store had several shelves of new books with glossy covers and bright colors, but the back of the store had a vast section of used books - musty pages with falling-apart covers and leather binding on every topic imaginable. The shelves went up to the ceiling and each one was packed full. She went up and down each row slowly, savouring all the possibilities of gained knowledge and adventures lived second-hand. She wasn't looking where she was going and almost bumped into one of the employees who was stocking books onto shelves wherever they would fit.

"Oh, excuse-" she stopped.

The employee gave her a knowing grin.

"Singing doesn't pay all the bills, you know." he shoved a copy of 'The Canterbury Tales' sideways on top of 'The Tempest'.

"I didn't know Goblin Kings had bills to pay."

"They do when they rent an apartment to get away from the constant nagging of their subjects."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You need good credit to get an apartment."

He didn't respond, focusing on the books instead as though he didn't hear her.

"You have a credit card?" she was incredulous.

"Perhaps I do, Miss Sarah. I have a life outside my kingdom." he smirked.

She shook her head.

"I can't believe it. Show it to me."

"What, so you can memorise the number and and use it to buy diet sodas and Netflixes? I know how college students are, constantly poor and looking for money."

She grabbed 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' and swatted his shoulder with it.

"I pay for my own 'Netflixes', thank you very much."

Sarah would come back to the bookstore often. Seeing him there made up for the times she didn't get to see get him sing, either due to her group of friends doing something else than just eating or because he wasn't booked for those weekends. He had told her he was spending more time writing and recording than live gigs now, and his bookstore job took up time as well.

"Brian asked me out yesterday."

They were sitting on the floor of the back room in the bookstore, and she was helping Jareth sort books into categories. She brought the subject up cooly but her heart beat a little faster in anticipation of his response.

"Oh? what did you tell him?"

"I said I'd think about it."

"What is there to think about? Does the poor chap not shower or something? Tell him you can't stand his stench and be done with him."

She sighed.

"No, he smells... Average, I guess. He just wouldn't have been my first pick of someone to go out with, that's all."

"Well, you don't have to go out with him if you don't want to. But you never know, you have a unexpectedly pleasant evening, especially if he is the type to shower regularly." he threw yet another copy of 'iPods for Dummies - 2002' in the recycle bin.

"I guess." she shrugged.

Although the conversation was going normally enough, she couldn't shrug the awkward feeling. The entire reason he had always been there to grant her wishes - the entire reason he was here now when she had called out for a familiar friend that night in the pub - was because the King of the Goblins loved her. Yet here he was, nonchalantly discussing her dating other guys. It wasn't necessarily that she wanted to be in romantic relationship with him at the moment, but the boy from highschool who had claimed to be in love her ended up spreading a nasty rumour about when he realised she didn't the feel the same about him and likely never would. Was Jareth expecting something from her at some point in the future? He had played the villain all too successfully when she was younger, and though it was only an act, she was loath to be on the bad side of a being with powers such as his.

"Jareth?" she started meekly. "We're friends, aren't we?"

He gave her a concerned look.

"I should certainly hope so." he replied.

"And you said one time that you'd still be granting my wishes even when I'm an old lady, right?"

"As long as you make wishes, I'll be there to grant them for you. But I do have limits, mind you. Helping you acquire the perfect apartment at a discount I can handle, world domination not so much, so please do plan accordingly."

"What if I wished to meet to perfect man?"

He paused and thought about it.

"I suppose I could cast a glamour on a goblin and give him a potion for cleverness, but I have a feeling that's not what you were looking for."

She laughed.

"I mean, I do suppose I could find a man for you, but that would lead to some awfully awkward conversations between me and them, don't you think? I can't exactly chat up a man at a bar and still have him be the type for you, you know?"

When her laughter subsided she pressed on.

"But would you still grant me wishes when I'm old and married? Would you grant wishes for my husband, too?"

"Like I said, I'll always grant your wishes. I suppose it depends on what your dear hubby asks for, but I suppose I could throw the man a bone once in a while."

"So you're not going to fight some epic duel with my currently-fictional fiancé for my hand in marriage?"

He looked up. "No. Oh, did you want me to, though?"

"Well I wasn't planning on it. I just thought you..."

He set the books down and levelled a serious gaze at her.

"Sarah, you know I... I care very much about you. That's precisely why I intend to grant your every wish, even if it's at the expense of myself. It's your happiness that I want, Sarah. If someone else makes you happy, then that makes me happy as well. Don't think you owe someone feelings you don't have just because they have feelings for you. You rule your own life and make your own decisions."

Sarah didn't know what to even say to that. She instead grabbed another box of books and began sorting them quickly into piles.

"So I have a ten page essay due in a week." she changed the subject, feeling grateful for what he had told her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author** ' **s Note: Thank you everyone for all the comments! :3 I'm hoping to get weekly or almost weekly updates from here.**

She told Brian yes. They went out that Friday for dinner. In between finishing spaghetti and waiting for the chocolate cake to arrive at the table, he asked her to go with him to a campus event. She was texting Lilian on the sly under the table at the time and she didn't fully realise what was asked until after she had said "Yeah."

After the campus event date, he insisted on walking her back to her dorm and she was disappointed that she couldn't just make a dash for it when he wasn't looking. When they got to her door he leaned in without warning and tried to plant a kiss on her mouth. She leaned way back to avoid his offending lips.

"Whoa there, cowboy. We hardly know each other, and I'm not comfortable with that yet, ok?"

"Oh." he looked as though someone had told him the well-paying job he had just landed was now a volunteer position instead.

He didn't force the issue and left instead while Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

The next day she got a text from him asking her to go to the movies with him next week. She pondered her predicament and decided that dumping him (did one really need to formally 'dump' the other after only two dates? was this even a real relationship?) over text message would be harsh so she agreed to meet him at movies, resolving to let him know right after the film that while she appreciated the fact that he existed, she would much prefer if he existed somewhere she didn't have to see him or speak to him.

They got their popcorn and sodas and sat towards the top of the theater. Sarah didn't feel much like talking due to what she know was coming at the end of the movie, and Brian seemed content to rattle on about some movie related nonsense. As the the previews started rolling, he pushed up the armrest that was between them and scooted slightly closer to her. She turned and gave him a blank stare, her face illuminated by the blue of the Walt Disney castle ad.

"I like armrests. I like to rest my arms on them." she pushed it back down to it's rightful place separating the two of them.

He shrugged but didn't say anything.

Halfway through the movie he slid his arm around her shoulder. She wiggled out from under it and leaned over to whisper "I don't like that kind of stuff. I just want to watch the movie."

He scoffed and she rolled her eyes. If he kept it up she was about to dump him right then and there, end of the movie or not.

The credits were rolling. People were getting up to leave and gathering their things. Sarah followed suit, and leaned over to grab her soda from the cup holder when she felt something pinch her. More specifically, a hand pinching her where a hand had no right to be without her permission.

Sarah Williams was speechless.

But Sarah Williams was not about to let anyone pinch her bottom and get away with it.

Brian was sniggering as she turned to him with the fury of a thousand suns in her eyes.

He was no longer sniggering when she dumped her entire soda over the top of his head and flung the remaining popcorn at his face. He sputtered and stood up, shouting about how could she do that? People turned and gawked. Sarah stormed off.

When she got back to her dorm, she blocked his number from her phone and screamed into a pillow.

Jareth's manager was there, so instead of helping Jareth sort and stock books, she was browsing the selection on the shelves. Jareth stood arranging the books opposite her, carrying on a quiet conversation that the manager couldn't overhear.

The subjects were mundane until he brought up "How is old Brian doing?"

She cringed. "I certainly wouldn't know. I dumped him."

"Fellow is probably heartbroken, then."

"Good."

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "Is there something I should know?"

She considered. "He just wasn't respectful of boundaries, you know?"

"Hmm."

"He pinched my butt at the theater so I dumped my Coke on him."

"Did he, now?" Jareth said thoughtfully, but he left it at that.

Sarah thought no more of it until a full week later.

Brian was wandering around campus barefoot asking people what had happened to his shoes? He insisted they were all missing out of his closet, but his professors seemed convinced that he was pulling some kind of prank and turned him away from his classes.

Sarah was not a spiteful person, and could feel empathy even for people she did not like, but she had to admit it brought her an odd joy to see Brian walking barefoot down the sidewalks wailing "I can't find my shoes!" to anyone who was in earshot.

The next day he had his shoes back again, but seemed to be plagued by a case of terrible itchiness. The more he scratched at his arms, the worse it seemed to become, even to a point where other students started to comment on it. At midday, his itching continued only to be excaburated by the chicken feathers that seemed to be falling from folds in clothes. Other students gave him the stink eye and sided away from him.

"It's not me! I didn't put those there, I'm allergic to feathers, why would I do that?" but no one believed him.

The day after that, Sarah heard through student gossip that he had opened up his notebook in class only to become confused at notes inside. His own notes were still there, but the margins were now filled with gibberish and crudely made drawings as though a child had gotten hold of it.

Nothing terribly big seemed to happen to him after that, but he did spend a good amount of time afterwards jumpy and skittish, and he mentioned something in passing about hearing harsh giggling voices in his dorm, which his roommate backed up.

At the end of the week Sarah visited the bookstore to share this strange tale with Jareth, who maintained a perfect facade of innocence about the whole thing, though he did maintain that he personally could not be held responsible for whatever his goblins chose to do at any given time.

Throughout the rest of her semesters she ended up dating a few others, and though she had a generally good experience with the rest of them, she didn't find anyone she could really see a future with. Regardless, the relationships were fun while they lasted, and they almost all ended on good terms.

She spent her summers and spring breaks either with friends on trips or at internships gaining work skills. In the breaks in between, she worked part time at bookstore with Jareth, which had very well and even expanded into the store next to it. She ended up keeping that job throughout the remaining semesters as well, cutting back hours as needed to get all her classes and homework in.

Graduation Day loomed in the distance like the bright red mark on the calendar. One last finals week, one last day of class, and like that, it was over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: thanks guys for telling me about the code problem! 0_e I thought I checked it out but it looks like my document had other ideas!**

She had received a job offer at one of the companies she had interned for. She quickly accepted it and found an apartment nearby and made the arrangements to move there. Her furniture was the bare minimum for a while until she had some money to save up. Louise helped her move the things she did have from her dorm to the apartment. Louise ended up being the only one to get a job in same city as Sarah - everyone else she knew had moved other states. It wasn't a perfect arrangement, though, as she was close enough to visits occasionally but too far to see very often. Still, Sarah felt lucky to know someone else in the city, and she was glad that she got along well with her coworkers from what she remembered at her internship. Working a job was certainly different than going to school, but she loved it (and the money she was making - not a fortune, but certainly more than when she a student) and soon fell into a comfortable routine. As the months went by she slowly started to decorate, with posters on the walls and kitchen utensils and mugs with witty puns on them. She took up the hobby of knitting and even attempted to make her own socks, although the results were varied.

She walked into the office one day to find a big sheet cake on her desk.

"happy one year anniversary" said the scrawling frosting cursive. Had it really been a whole year?

Her coworkers and even her boss went out for drinks after work and a good time was had by all. Although no one get too drunk, they asked a sober friend to drive them back when the night was over. Sarah didn't feel like waiting for him to come around on his second trip of dropping people off and decided to call a cab instead. She bid her friends farewell and waited outside for the cab to show up. When it did, she told the driver the directions and was glad when he didn't seem to be the talkative type. The radio played softly, a pop song that Sarah had been hearing everywhere lately. The song ended, the DJ chirped out an advertisement for a new brand of potato chips, and started the next song.

She almost didn't believe it at first. Surely she was mistaken? But no, there was no mistaking that voice, and those lyrics that were filtering through the car's sound system.

"I'll paint you mornings of gold, I'll spin you valentine evenings"

She put her hand over her mouth as though to keep herself from crying out. The absurdity of hearing his song on the radio combined with sudden realisation that it had been just over a year since she last saw him and that she missed him felt like a hand squeezing her heart. She didn't know whether to laugh out loud or cry.

She could call him right then and there, she though. She could wish him here, and -

And? And do, say, what? She didn't know.

She didn't need anything, not really. And though she did feel a little lonely, she had made it a rule for herself to never call or message someone when she was even slightly intoxicated. That rule was made to apply to ex boyfriends and estranged family members, but she supposed it could also - should also - apply to goblin kings as well. If she really felt having him here was a good idea, it would remain a good idea well into the morning and the next day, when she would decide with a clear head.

When the next day came, she felt conflicted. Yes, she still wanted to see him for old time's sake, but what after that? She didn't have a wish to ask of him. She didn't need some favour, or even a shoulder to lean on at the moment. Calling on him now seemed frivolous. And besides that - what if he were busy right now? He had a life outside of his music. He was a king, after all. Any number of things could be going on in his kingdom at this very moment. But she knew he would still come if she called regardless of what was happening. No matter how important the events he was dealing with, he would still come if she wanted him to. All she had to say were those simple words. So she didn't. She couldn't pull him here for no reason, and any reason she could come up with seemed like no reason at all, really. There would surely come a time in the future when she did need something or someone, and that would be when she called him back. But until then, she would continue on by herself.

So she continued on. Days turned to weeks, into months. Sometimes she would hear his songs play in the stores and she would smile and hum along softly. Sometimes she would hear them when they came on the radio in her car, and sometimes when that happened she would she turn the volume way up and sign along loudly as tears formed in her eyes for reasons she didn't fully understand, and sometimes she would change the channel quickly and pretend that it was the start of a different song and not the one she knew it really was.

Sometimes at night she would hear the hoot of a lone owl on the roof, but she never knew if it was him or not. Sometimes she preferred to think that it was him, checking up on her, keeping an eye on her from a distance. Sometimes she thought it was just an owl, a simple bird that hatched from an egg somewhere and nothing more. Sometimes she didn't want to know which it was.

Sometimes she went for long while without even thinking of him, and whenever the random thought about him or the Labyrinth popped up, she would feel vaguely guilty about having forgotten. But with so much else going on in her own life, she couldn't really be expected to always think of him, could she?

Months passed. She was up for a promotion at work. She wanted it so badly, and the thought of not getting it scared her. Unfortunately, the thought of actually getting it scared her as well. Whether or not she received the promotion all depended on her giving her a presentation to a panel of the heads of the company - not just her boss, but her boss's boss and several other names that were only whispered in the offices and around the water cooler with reverential awe and respect. It would not have even been a stretch by any means to say the entire course of her future depend on how she did with that presentation. Her head felt like it was buzzing whenever she thought of it. If she felt this nervous just imagining it, how was she were going to be able to stand up there and speak in front of all those people? She tried to push it out of her mind for the time being. She had plenty of time to work on it, right?

She managed to fitfully put together a presentation that she felt good about in an abstract way, but not necessarily in an "I can't wait to present this" kind of way. When it was finished and polished she put it away and tried to think of other things for while. She still had plenty of time, or so she told herself.

Days on the calendar went by like sand in an hourglass. She could no longer push it from her mind when she needed to be practicing her presentation. Her worries grew from a slight unease to a dread that never quite left the pit of her stomach. She spent late nights watching reruns of half hour comedies, trying to get her mind off what was coming up. She picked at her food in the morning, often skipping breakfast altogether. Her throat was dry and itchy no matter how much water she drank.

There was one week before she had to present. Her hands were shaking so badly and her mind replayed imagined images of herself messing up so badly during her presentation that not only did she not get the promotion, she got fired from her current job. She could see no other option than to email her boss letting her know she simply could not do the presentation. But what then? Would't her boss be mad? Would she get in trouble? Should she start looking for a new job? What if her boss put her on a blacklist and no one else would hire her? Her boss had gone out of her way to get this opportunity for Sarah, she couldn't just throw it back in her face now. But how could she ever get through this?

She turned off the television at three in the morning and trudged off to bed. She pulled the covers up over her head and moan into her pillow. She would have to face her boss in the morning, and she would have to decided if she was going to go through with it or not so there would be time to tell the rest of the panel so they didn't fly out here for nothing.

There was a muffled noise at the window. She froze. It came again, and she pulled the blankets of from her head. There was definitely something at window. Most likely, she thought, it was that branch fro the tree that had overgrown. But as she heard it again, she felt the need to get up and make sure. At the very least, it was a distraction from going to sleep, and going to sleep mean the next day would arrive soon. She got up and went to the window.

She pulled back the curtain, and sure enough, there was a branch that was touching the glass. She squinted out at it, ugly old branch.

"I'll get someone to cut you off in the morning, that'll show you." she whispered to it.

There was a hint of movement in the tree. She looked up.

A barn owl blinked back at her.

She paused for just a second before opening up the window. The owl flew in as soon as she did.

She turned from the window and saw an old friend in the midst of a cloud of glitter standing in the middle of her bedroom.

"I hate to intrude upon you so late at night, darling, but I'm afraid I need your help with something." he stretched out his hand. "Would it be too much of a bother for you to come with me and help me sort it out?"

She suddenly realized she was in her pajamas.

"Er, yes, just a second." she grabbed her robe off the back of a chair and quickly put it on before reaching out to take his hand.

"Where are we-" she was cut off as soon as she grabbed his hand as the world suddenly felt like it violently tipped to side and stretched out.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to right herself. When she opened them, she was just outside Jareth's Castle.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: eeek, I never meant to leave this one for so long... HOPEFULLY weekly updates for a bit from now on! Thank you for reading!**

Sarah was surprised for many reasons.

For one, she hadn't been expecting to be back here, although she wasn't even sure where she had been expecting to go.

Secondly, she was surprised to see Jareth in general. She hadn't made a wish, at least, not one that she had realized she was making.

But even still, wouldn't her wish have been something along the lines of helping her get ready for her presentation? Or maybe even getting a promotion without having to give a presentation. Or using goblin magic to make it go easier somehow, or to calm her nerves. But certainly not to be whisked away in the middle of the night in her bathrobe to the castle in the center of the Labyrinth.

The first thing she did once she realized where she was was to look up. It was the color of peaches when they fall from the tree, swirled through out with ashen clouds, exactly how it looked on her first arrival. The sun was setting.

Her heart beat a little faster.

"What did you need my help with?" she secretly hoped against hope that it was something involved, something that would be an excuse to stay here a while and forget her Aboveground worries, even though she knew she would have to go up there again at some point.

He sighed wearily.

"Well, it's a very long story, you see. It might take a while to explain." he frowned. "And you're probably quite tired what with me dragging you out of bed at some nonsense hour with barely a chance to change. I can send for some proper clothes for you from town, it shan't take too long. Come inside, now." he ushered her into the castle.

Before closing the front door he sent a crystal floating off towards the Goblin Market.

"The order for your clothes should get there soon." he closed and latched the doors. "And I think it's far past your bedtime. I did consider waiting to summon you until morning, but I felt you weren't likely to hear me over the blender making your morning smoothie. Follow me. Now, we aren't in a rush for anything happening up there because time moves differently in the Underground. So I want to relax for right now, take a rest, and you wake up, I will explain everything."

He had led her to a small, cozy room in the shape of a hexagon. There was a fireplace burning low on one wall, and a window on the wall to right. Opposite the fireplace was a bed stacked tall with soft looking blankets and pillows. There was a vanity on another wall and one wall had nothing but shelves with curious objects.

"You'll find an amulet in the box on the vanity, you can hang it over the door if you wish to lock it. Is there anything else you need for now?"

"No, I'm good." she looked around her new room.

"I'll see you in the morning, then." he turned to leave. "And Sarah... Thank you for coming."

He was gone before she could reply.

She was actually more tired than she cared to admit.

Her Aboveground worries slipped to the back of her mind and thoughts of sleep consumed her. She hung the amulet, which was shaped like a tiny lock, over the door and slid into the bed, which was even more comfortable than it looked.

She slept deeply and dreamlessly, better than she had in a long time. When she awoke, pale sunlight was filtering through the leaded glass window. She stretched her arms out and yawned. A tiny knock came at the door. She got up to answer it.

It was a small goblin wearing a bright pink dress with a large bow in her hair. She curtseyed and handed Sarah a stack of clothing before scurrying away. Sarah closed the door after she was gone and looked over the clothes.

When she was finished dressing, she stood in front of the vanity and ran her fingers through her hair as a makeshift brush. When she was pleased with her appearance, she opened her door to find another goblin there, leaning up against the wall and dozing off until he saw Sarah.

"King wants to come this way." he started off down the hallway.

She followed him to another room where she found Jareth. The goblin wandered off.

"Feeling more rested?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Come walk with me in the courtyard." he led her to a door.

The courtyard seemed to be in the middle of the castle, with walls around every edge of it though it had no roof so the sky was visible. It had a water fountain in the middle of it, and around the edges were flowers and shrubs and small trees and vines growing over lattices. Strain birds were in the trees, singing songs the likes of which Sarah had never heard before. The air was sweetly scented.

"It's beautiful!" Sarah exclaimed, unable to contain herself.

"I"m glad you think so. Unfortunately, if certain others get their way, it won't be here for long." he sighed.

They strolled through the garden, looking at the flowers.

"It's quite a long history, but I shall do my best to keep it brief. In short, the goblin kingdom is danger of being annexed by force by neighbouring kingdoms. Try as I might my pleas have fallen on deaf ears thus far. We've come down to two final options - either we manage to convince them at the next High Court, or we face war."

"What can I do?"

"You can help me convince the other sovereigns at the High Court. There's only myself to speak for this kingdom, I have no co-rulers or heirs - there's the goblins, of course, but the Court absolutely refuses to hear from them. They consider them too far beneath them." he frowned. "A kingdom comprised entirely of them serves no purpose, they say. They intend to ship them off to other lands as servants and workers, and I cannot let that happen to them. They have just as much right to live their lives how they choose as the Sidhe do. But a war will not bode well for us. I wish to curtail this while we still have the chance."

"I want to help." Sarah was determined. She couldn't stand the thought of the poor goblins having to leave their homes and become slaves to other beings in this realm. "But Jareth, if they won't listen to you, what makes you think they'll listen to me? I'm just a human, does my word even hold any weight any here?"

"They view me as reckless and flighty - part of the reason why my rule is over goblins only. Currently all they have is unsavoury me and unworthy goblins to speak up for this kingdom. But you - a fresh voice, a new set of eyes - you just might have a chance to get through to them. Humans here aren't so unusual as you might believe, there a few of them who have left their mortal lives behind to dwell here on this plane. I'll even point them out to you when we see them at High Court."

He paused.

"You will come with me to the High Court, won't you Sarah?"

"Yes." she was resolute.

"Excellent." he grinned. "Oh Sarah, I do so wish your first High Court had been under better circumstances, but I do feel you'll enjoy it anyway. Before we begin the heavy lifting, however, we have some other matters to attend to first."

They went to the goblin together. Jareth wanted fresh groceries for Sarah's visit, and she was eager to see more of the city than had the last time she was there. She couldn't help but giggle at the various goblins who, upon seeing Jareth, would scurry up to him and curtsy or bow. The goblins looked so serious about it, and Jareth was so nonchalant about it all that it proved a comic scene to watch.

The market itself was composed of varying sizes of booths and stalls and wagons. While some of the food made Sarah question if it was even edible, some of it looked absolutely delicious and made her eyes glint as she remembered a certain poem from her childhood - "sweet to tongue and sound to eye".

When they had purchased enough food they stopped by the tailor to pick up Sarah's new wardrobe - four dresses, three pairs of pants, five tunics, and a large basketful of various other articles.

"Oh, Jareth, this is too much."

"Nonsense. It's the least we can do for you, after you so kindly dropped everything to come help us. Your outfit for High Court will take a little longer, so it will be delivered a while later."

He tossed some coins to the goblins he had enlisted to carry the clothing to the castle.

They made small talk on the way back. Sarah tried to include the goblins who were carrying their bags and luggage in the conversation, but they seemed far too star-stuck by Jareth to respond very much - only one would answer, and only with monosyllables.

When they arrived at the castle Sarah took her new clothes to her room and Jareth took the food into the kitchen. The goblins had left, and after hanging up the dresses and leaving the basket at the foot of her bed, she met Jareth in his library.

She sat down in the plush chair across from his own. A small fire burned in the fireplace and the lighting from above seemed to come from source in particular. A little table was between them, on which he had set two teacups with a sweet smelling drink in them.

"Well then." he sighed. "Let us begin."


	8. Chapter 8

He got up and began pulling a few books off the shelves.

"These are a few history books - they'll help you immensely in learning what our political atmosphere is. If you have any questions at all about what you come across, please do ask me. 'No such thing as a stupid question', that's what they say Above, isn't it?"

He put the books onto the table.

"Now, High Court is in almost two weeks. I think that's just enough time to catch up on everything and come up with a compelling argument."

The dizziness and excitement of the day was beginning to wear off on Sarah. She was starting to feel very small, and very powerless in a world filled with magical beings, and very tired.

"Are you really sure about all this?" she asked in small voice.

Jareth paused.

"Sarah, you don't have to do anything you don't want, or don't feel comfortable doing. I do think you are perfectly capable of pulling this all off, but that in no way means you are required to attempt it."

She nodded.

The following days were spent in a combination of endless reading and long discussions, both with Jareth and with several goblins who were in the business of record keeping and storytelling. There were even goblins who were old enough to actually remember many of the things written in the annuls of history.

Sarah was almost surprised at how easily she managed to fall into line with life in the Underground. It was so different than her life that she had grown accustomed to, but she adjusted without missing a beat. Each day was like a dream and she couldn't help but smile, thinking how she had longed for something like this when she was fourteen but never saw a chance of it ever happening.

It occurred to her on the fourth day there - a little late, she realized sheepishly - that she had no idea how time passing Aboveground. There was even a chance she might miss her presentation. For all she really knew, a dozen years had gone by and she never even returned to work. She brought up the subject with Jareth.

"How much time will have gone by when I go back?"

"Likely very little at all. You'll be back in time for work that day, I'm sure."

"I have a presentation I'm working on." she was thinking out loud, sure that he had his ways of already knowing. A small feeling of unease crept into her mind thinking about it again.

She brushed a piece of her hair out of her face.

"I was considering, maybe, I mean - I've been feeling kinda nervous about it. Do you think, after all this, you could help me out a bit? Not like, use magic on my boss or anything, just help me practice me speech." she hurried to add.

Jareth considered it for a moment.

"Of course I'll help you, Sarah. I always find however, problems are best tackled one at a time."

Sarah rolled her eyes and smirked.

"I know, I know, 'back to work'." she picked up her book again.

She found the history books fascinating. There were mentions of so many creatures and beings and lands she had heard about in fairy tales and storybooks, her heart ached just a little to think that she wouldn't be able to stay here and see them all. But she tried her hardest to stay on topic.

Before this, she had only had a vague idea about where the goblins had come from - wished away children, perhaps, but she never really gave it any mind. As it turned out, a number of goblins were indeed human children who had been wished away, abandoned by their keepers or lost from wandering off, taken in by this world and changed.

This wasn't the case for every goblin, though. There were their own race, distinct from the rest of the peoples who inhabited the vast lands around the Labyrinth. They had their own unique culture and arts and tales and Sarah thought it was wonderful. It seemed, though, that not everyone had always felt that way - there were other factions who felt the goblins to be beneath them, and it seemed that this feeling was still permeated in recent times.

She pieced together anything that wasn't in the books through conversations with Jareth. He was apparently rather rebellious in his youth and his ruling over the Goblin Kingdom had only come about through a series of events that were half punishment, half dare followed through. His parents, fretful over his flippant nature, had tried in vain to get him take his future duties seriously, right up through his own coronation. He ended up sassing many of the other sidhe at that coronation, which caused quite an outrage. He was supposed to have been coming into his own and inheriting a portion of land from his parents but several of the sidhe began to loudly question if it were wise to give so much control to one such as him.

Accusations flew. Someone snidely mentioned he was only fit to be a king of goblins, meant as a biting insult. Jareth, however, quipped right back that he would be delighted to have an entire kingdom full of goblins. His mother had nearly fainted at his words. The arguments had grown until it was decided that instead of his parent's land, he would be inhabiting a wasteland and his only subjects would indeed be goblins.

He left that very day for the wasteland and began planning the construction of his castle, and sent out the message that any goblin living anywhere was more than welcome to make a home in his new kingdom.

Slowly but surely goblins began moving in and building towns and markets and homes. Jareth was their ruler, but for the most part they governed themselves whenever possible - and that was just how he liked it. He had plenty of free time for his own interests and pursuits, yet still held a title among the sidhe.

After a while, the others sidhe began to realize he was indeed serious about this 'goblin kingdom' and it was not just a passing fit. They began sending requests to meet with him and discuss any trade opportunities or treaties between their kingdoms. Around the time of having received these letters, Jareth began construction on the Labyrinth, something he seemed to sincerely apologize for when the foreign rulers finally arrived at his doorstep weeks later and worn out. The timing of the giant maze around his house, though, was no accident. After the first batch of visitors began telling of just what it took to meet with Jareth, requests to visit virtually stopped, and instead any discussions with him had to take place at any gatherings such as Midsummer or High Court.

Things carried on like that for quite some time. Jareth was happy with arrangement, as were the goblins and other odd creatures that happened to move in with them, and up until recently, the sidhe were happy. The whispers had started off quietly, but now they had grown louder and there was no denying them. There was a growing faction of sidhe who felt that the goblin kingdom was a waste of space and resources, that Jareth was merely playing at running a kingdom and playtime was over.

Though Jareth had fought against these allegations, his reputation was well known by most, and the tides were turning against him. Time was running out for goblins, who were now in danger of being forced to leave their homes and enter lives of servitude.

A flippant and careless ruler, of course he would fight to keep the cushy position he had found himself in! The others long viewed him as the same being he was way back when, and certainly his reluctance to often meet with anyone gave little opportunity for anyone to see how he might have changed. This was why Jareth had hoped that perhaps the view of an outsider would hold more sway than the views of himself or of a goblin. Though he did have several close friends in the Underground, they all unfortunately had worse reputations than himself - certainly not anyone that he would want to remind others that he kept company with. So the full weight of the task fell onto Sarah.

As the proverbial sand the proverbial hourglass slipped away, experiences in the Underground become more vivid, more intense.

Her speech was composed as much as it could possibly be, and together they had planned responses to a great number questions or statements that could arise. In between and during last minute practice speeches they dined outdoors or strolled through the labyrinth or stayed up late at night to drink fizzy drinks from fluted glasses and watch the fireworks that went up over the goblin towns in celebration of an approaching goblin holiday.

High Court was one night away.

Sarah sank back into the bathtub. All the arrangements had been made, the only thing left was to get ready for bed, sleep, wake, then dress and leave for the High Court. She let any and all worries about how the next day would go slip from her mind, instead focusing on the here and now - and how she might not ever be here like this again.

She had never been in a tub this deep. The water came up to her shoulders and the sides were sloped in such a way that she could lean back comfortably. The water was warm, and a large piece of soap had placed into it which fizzed and bubbled away, leaving the water the sparkling color of a sunset and smelling of peaches and sugar and cream.

The bath also seemed to stay at the same temperature no matter how long Sarah spent in it. She normally made a habit of exiting baths when the water started to cool, but that night she stayed in long past when her fingers and toes had turned pruney. She pulled a fluffy towel off the side of the tub and wrapped it around herself, stepping out onto the furry rug which saved her feet from the cold stone floor. After pulling the chain to drain the tub, she blew out the candles one by one and returned to her bedroom where she dressed for sleep.

If Jareth had confidence in her, she could have confidence in herself. After all, he surely knew what High Court would be like - he wouldn't have asked for her help if he didn't think she could do it. Because of that she was able to rest easily under the soft layers of blankets which she pulled up to her chin. The textiles here were so different than what she used to Aboveground. She sighed happily and tried to stay awake just a little longer to enjoy the room a bit more, but soon she was already drifting off to slumber.

She was awoken the following morning by a small eager knock at the door.

She stretched and yawned and then called out "I'm up!"

Footsteps could be heard scurrying away from the door as the goblin, whose duty as an alarm clock was finished, ran off to its next task, whatever that might be.

Sarah quickly dressed in her outfit for the day.

It was a special order - light green and gold, the colors faded and mixed into one another like the reflections of sunlight through stained glass. It was not as poofy as the dress she had worn when she younger, but it still felt just as glamorous and refined.

She frowned into the mirror. She had told Jareth that he could do her hair makeup before they left, but she still had reservations about it. She had no actual makeup with her, though, and such a thing was a foreign concept to the goblins so it couldn't even be found at market. She had to admit, it would save time for him to do it.

She met him near the castle's front entrance. He smiled when he saw her.

"Are you ready, Sarah?"

She nodded.

"Come just a little closer." he held out both hands about face height.

She nervously stepped closer and he gently placed his hands on either side of her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, not knowing what to expect.

Her face and scalp tickled for the briefest second, like the premonition of a sneeze. He pulled his hands away.

"There."

She opened her eyes. He pulled a small mirror seemingly from nowhere and held it up for her to look into.

It was a little more glitter than she would have normally used, but on the whole she liked it. Part of her hair was now pulled up and secured with a large clip, slightly curled and twisted all over. It would have taken her at least two hours to do on her own.

"Thank you, Goblin King." she curtsied.

He bowed, then held out a hand to her.

"Are you ready to go to the High Court, Miss Sarah?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." she couldn't help but smirk at their formality, an expression mirrored by Jareth himself.

She took his hand and they stepped outside to where a carriage was waiting. She stepped up into it, followed by Jareth. The carriage door was closed, the goblin driver shook the reins, and the horses lurched forward.

They were off.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: As I'm sure most of you can tell, I don't come to this site very** **often! You can find me (and this story!) on Archive of Our Own under the name Mertens. As that site is the easiest for me to use, all story updates will happen there first. Currently, this story is posted there and is up to chapter 16, with 17 soon on the way! If you want to read ahead in this story, you can find it over there. :3 Thanks for reading and all your nice comments ~**

Jareth pulled back the little curtains covering the small windows on each side of the carriage. Two light blue plush benches faced each other, Sarah on one and Jareth on the other. From underneath his own bench he pulled out a large picnic basket.

"I regret to inform you that you will not be able to eat of any the food offered you at High Court, not even a sip of mead. If you wish to be able to return to your life Aboveground, it's of the utmost importance to remember that. A single taste of food from a sidhe table and you'll find no passage back to your old human life. There is no such spell on goblin food, however, so anything from this basket will be fine if you're hungry."

Sarah peeked inside the basket and pulled out a napkin, spreading it out over the front of her dress. She took a bite of a crumbly pastry and giggled as Jareth bit his lip trying to pour a bottle of a sweet smelling liquid into two crystal goblets without spilling any of it due to the bumpy ride.

His task mostly accomplished, he handed her one of goblets.

"Why is this carriage so bumpy? Surely the King could afford a smoother ride." she teased.

Jareth sniffed.

"I'll have you know this carriage is several hundred years old. The shocks absorbers are shot. It's not about affording a new one, it's about keeping up a grand tradition."

"A grand tradition that now has juice stains on the carpet." she sighed.

He glared at her as he leaned back on the bench, but she could see the beginnings of a grin on his face.

They passed the time with small talk and traded jokes and at one point Jareth reached into his pocket and pulled out a foldable fan and gave it to Sarah. It matched her dress and she thought it was lovely. He told her to keep it with her throughout the day.

The journey seemed to take a long time, yet when Sarah looked out the window the scenery was flying past. She thought of the airplane trips she had taken in the past, and how the carriage was almost like a small jet that had just touched down on solid ground, full of velocity that jostled its passengers and cargo, rushing ahead into the unknown. She wondered if Jareth had ever been on an airplane, and if he had, where he had been headed and for what reasons.

Soon enough the carriage slowed its pace and came to a stop. The driver opened the door for them, and they stepped out in front of what looked to be large trees woven into a hallway. The carriage took off once again, and Jareth and Sarah started into the grove of trees.

Sarah could scarcely tell where the natural connected with the constructed. After a few tunnels they entered into a much smaller hallway, at the end of which was a small red door. Jareth paused just before it and reached out his hand to Sarah. She put her hand in his and he gave it a gentle squeeze before opening the door.

On the other side was a landing that lead into a wide, yet short, staircase. On the lower level was a large round room filled with groups of people, some standing and talking, some sitting at the long tables that stretched across the walls.

At the top of the staircase was a man to whom Jareth handed a tiny piece of paper. The man glanced briefly at it before slipping it into his pocket and calling out in a voice that made Sarah jump at both the volume and unexpectedness.

"King Jareth and Marchioness Sarah of the Goblin Kingdom."

Upon being announced, several of the groups who were standing within earshot all stopped talking and turned to watch.

Sarah wanted to take a moment to ask Jareth about how she suddenly had a title she wasn't aware of, but her concentration now had to focus on not tripping down the stairs as several dozen people stared intently with blank expressions. A wave of nerves washed over her, and suddenly the only thing she wanted was to run and hide. She glanced back at the red door, the only way out, and in doing so noticed that Jareth had his gaze on her.

"Are you alright?" he murmured.

She gave a small nod and squirmed her hand in his. He subtly gestured towards her fan that she was holding in her other hand. She opened it up and brought it up to cover the bottom half of her face as they reached the bottom of the staircase. He leaned over and whispered to her, both of their mouths masked by the fan, his words hidden from prying eyes.

"Those looks are for me, don't worry. You're fine here."

She wasn't sure if the thought that the icy stares were meant for him made her feel any better, but she did appreciate that he was trying to put her at ease.

As soon as they stepped down to solid ground, they were caught up in introductions and polite greetings. Sarah tried her best to remember each name and where they were from, but after a certain point it was far too overwhelming to try to memorize each detail, and they all started to blend together. She couldn't imagine how Jareth managed to keep everyone straight, especially considering he likely hadn't seen most of these people in at least a year. But he somehow managed, and to a degree so did Sarah - and when she didn't she faked it and was able to get by.

In the middle of small talk with another guest, a man approach Jareth and asked him to come to the table. Sarah felt a cold sweat coming on. She recalled Jareth had told her that business was conducted in small groups of neighboring kingdoms, sitting at the table and discussing pressing matters before the groups that joined them got bigger and bigger. If Sarah wanted to convince anyone of keeping the goblins free, her best bet was to get the neighboring kingdoms in agreement before bringing it before the higher-ups.

They followed him to his table, where more introductions were made. Sarah politely refused the sparkling drink she was offered, while Jareth shot his back all at once.

"Surprised to see you here, must say." the man said to Jareth. "There was a betting pool about whether or not you'd show up. I'm glad you did, I won a fair bit of money." he laughed.

"Hm, well. Glad I could be of assistance. The rumors are true, I take it?" Jareth leaned in close.

The table consisted of five men and two women who were elaborately dressed and seemingly from a kingdom not too far from Jareth's.

"Aye, they're true all right. This has been building for some time. You have your work cut out for you tonight." the man poured more drink into the glasses from a pitcher.

The women sitting to one side of Sarah were gazing at her over the tops of their fans, gently rustling them and smiling at her. The young man on the other side of her had noticed she had refused her drink and took to offering her different foods and beverages from the table. She turned down each one as kindly as she could.

"Perchance I get you a delicacy from another table - something we have not here to strike your fancy?" he tried.

"No, thank you, sir. I really can't have anything here, I'm afraid."

The women giggled behind their fans.

"She must be mortal, William. You shouldn't tease her so. Our foods here are forbidden to her." they fluttered their fans all the more.

William leaned back in his chair.

"Aahhh..." he said, and Sarah felt strangely awkward.

He tipped his chair back onto the back legs, verging on tipping over.

"T'would surely be a pity, then, if you were to... Accidentally taste something here, would it not?"

Sarah folder her hands in her lap and thought for a moment. She didn't like the gleam in his eye, and she knew the eyes all around were watching her, judging her, waiting to see how she could handle herself in this strange new world.

"It would, sir. It would also be a pity if your chair suddenly gave out from under you in front of everyone, sir... Would it not?" she glanced up at him earnestly, a well-placed foot on the leg of his chair.

He wobbled and righted himself, frowning.

"Let us do all we can to avoid any accidents tonight." Sarah said sweetly.

The women pulled her close, tilting their fans so as to include her in their conversations. Deemed one of them after her handling of William, she was included in their low chatter of who was wearing what and talk of the weather lately.

After a short time Jareth stood up, beckoning for Sarah to follow. They took their leave of the table. Jareth told her the information he had gotten in regards to who exactly they'd need to win over and away from the plans of taking his kingdom from him. There was apparently a very small number of people who agreed that the goblins should remain free as they were now, but these people had been fairly silent on the matter and no one was really certain who they were. Sarah told him about William and simple gossip she had heard.

Jareth smirked.

"You should have tipped that pompous fool onto his backside. All the lands would have talked of it for ages."

Sarah smiled at the idea, then reminded him that they were here to make the impression of being responsible and mature, and he sighed at this.

They went to several different tables in this fashion - small talk, gossip, and every so often talk about actual issues facing each kingdom. Generally these problems were in no way related to the Goblin Kingdom, but by giving advice he hoped to project the image of a helpful and wise king - and hope for the best. Sarah too added whatever she thought would help, and she was glad to find that most of the people she encountered were nicer than the first table.

As they approached yet another table, Jareth paused and pulled her close to whisper to her.

"These are some of the major supporters of the plots against us."

She nodded. Time to work some magic... Figuratively, of course.

They were introduced and she curtsied and smiled charmingly. She let Jareth speak to them first, hoping to scope out the waters of what they were like before she said anything. They seemed formal enough, but their underlying contempt still shone through. Jareth merely smiled and took the veiled insults in stride, though Sarah could tell he was trying his best not respond with scathing snark.

One of the women motioned for Sarah to come closer.

"What a lovely ring you have, my dear."

"Oh, this?" Sarah held out her hand, which was adorned with a finely crafted ring, to the woman. She could tell there was sincerity behind the compliment.

"Wherever did you get it?"

"A dear friend of mine made it for me. She's the sweetest woman." her heart was pounding in her head. "She's such a skilled craftsperson, you should see some the things she can make!"

"Does she make custom pieces, perchance?" her eyes sparkled as fluttered her fan.

"She does! She's by far the easiest person to work with in designing pieces - no fuss at all. You'll go in looking for some jewelry and end up leaving with a new friend."

"What is her name? I simply must meet this woman."

Sarah smiled and gathered her nerve.

"Her name is Sazie."

The woman looked baffled.

"But - but that sounds very... Unusual, for a sidhe name." she tutted to herself.

"Oh, she's not sidhe. She's a goblin."

The woman was beside herself.

"Oh! Well, I- I didn't think- she made this, you say? A goblin woman? I never would have thought- and you're friends with this goblin?"

"Good friends, yes. She always has a cheerful song to share."

The woman turned away, thinking, and forgot Sarah was even there.

The sidhe Jareth was talking to suddenly called a few others over to the table. Apparently unable to fluster Jareth, backup was needed. One little slip up, that was all they would need to prove their point that he was unfit.

They continued to discuss kingdom matters in low voices across the table, and Sarah, unable to fully hear what they were saying, began to tell the women next to her tales that Sazie had told her. The woman listened, transfixed, her mind whirling with new ideas she had never considered.

They were interrupted suddenly by the sound of someone clanging a fork against a glass. They looked up. It was time to bring their conversations to a bigger table.

Sarah sat next to Jareth at the larger table. She felt so oddly out of place, the same gnawing feeling in her stomach and head when she thought about what it would be like to move into the bigger office with the promotion. She stayed mostly quiet throughout much of the talk at the larger table, following Jareth's lead when it came to voting by show of hands on matters.

The topic shifted rudely to the plan Sarah had worked so hard to be able to counter.

"I notice we have someone here today that's quite a surprise. We all didn't think you'd show up, Jareth. As a matter of fact, the next topic I want to bring up is the acquisition of the, er, so-called 'goblin kingdom', and putting it to good use. It's just sitting there rotting under such poor leadership."

"We all know how he can be." chimed in another.

"How so?" Jareth asked politely.

They all tried to avoid his eyes as the fiddled with their hands and looked away.

"Well I'm not saying it's not possible that you've changed, but be honest, Jareth - you are not the most responsible person here. If we were to put it to vote, I truly don't think there would be a single one here who would vouch for yo-"

"I vouch for him." Sarah spoke out.

All eyes turned towards her.


End file.
